MBSS Site Summary for: PRFR-203-X-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-203-X-2017-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-203-X-2017-MidpointUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Little Catoctin Creek in the Potomac River FR Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140301.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/27/2017 and again in the summer on 8/24/2017.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,776 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 6.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 68.5 %
Forested Land Use 23.1 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 61 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 26 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 35 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
No water quality measurements available for this site.

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 18 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 204
Central Stoneroller 186
Bluntnose Minnow 165
Common Shiner 134
Longnose Dace 66
Redbreast Sunfish 55
Yellow Bullhead 52
Nocomis Sp. 48
Green Sunfish 24
Silverjaw Minnow 22
Bluegill 18
White Sucker 16
Creek Chub 15
Banded Killifish 12
Largemouth Bass 5
Rosyside Dace 3
Greenside Darter 1
Smallmouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Bush Honeysuckle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Tree Of Heaven
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
RHEOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 75
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 45
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 17
PARATANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 12
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 8
DIAMESA Bloodworm 7
CHIMARRA Fingernet Caddisfly 6
STENELMIS Beetle 6
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 5
RHEOCRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 5
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 5
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 3
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 2
SIMULIUM Black Fly 2
PROSIMULIUM Black Fly 1
GIRARDIA Freshwater Flatworm 1
HYDROPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
NANOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 1
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 1
POTTHASTIA Non-Biting Midges 1
MICROCYLLOEPUS Riffle Beetle 1
TANYTARSINI Non-Biting Midges 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.